Expandable rooms incorporating building construction



H. RITTER 3,541,750

EXPANDABLE ROOMS INCORPORATING BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Nov. 24, 1970 Filed June 4, 1969 j INVENTOR.

HENRY RITTER z- WW I ATTORNEY.

United States Patent US. Cl. 5265 10 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The disclosure illustrates a circular hospital-health care center incorporating a plurality of patient rooms posi tioned around a central service area. The rooms are formed from radially extending common walls which terminate at a given distance from a circumferential outer wall. Movable panels are pivoted to the outer end of the common walls and displaceable between two positions. In the first position they form, in combination with the circumferential wall, a peripheral corridor around the patient rooms. Sliding panels in the movable wall provide an entranceway to the patient rooms when the movable walls are in this position. In the second position they essentially form an extension of the common wall to provide a plurality of patient rooms having an enlarged area. Windows are provided in the circumferential wall to provide an exterior view for the expanded patient rooms.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to building construction where it is desirable to provide an optimum utilization of the space available within a given floor space.

A field where optimum space utilization is of critical importance is in the construction of low-cost hospitalhealth care centers. These centers are used in urban core areas and in outlying rural areas where there is insufficient money available to provide construction ofa highly elaborate hospital or health care facility. With this type of building the interior space must be arranged to utilize the maximum space available in the building.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention provides an optimum utilization of space by a building construction which may be used for the above purpose. It provides a plurality of adjacent rooms formed in part by common side wall portions, each terminating in a first end. An elongated wall extends generally normal to and is spaced from the first ends of the common walls. A means is provided for formingmovable walls secured to the ends of the common side walls. The movable walls are displaceable between a first position wherein they define end walls for the rooms and one wall of an elongated corridor in cooperation with the elongated wall. In a second position the movable walls extend from the end of the common side walls to the elongated wall to form enlarged rooms.

The above and other related features of the present invention will be apparent from a reading of the following description of the disclosure found in the accompanying drawing and the novelty thereof pointed out in the appended claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a portion of a plan view of a building construction embodying the present invention in a position where a corridor is provided around a plurality of rooms.

FIG. 2 is the building construction of FIG. 1 in a position where the plurality of rooms are expanded to utilize the corridor space shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view taken on lines 3--3 of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 1 there is shown a portion of a building construction 10. The particular building construction shown is a modular type hospital-health care center arranged in a circular fashion. However, it should be understood that the present invention is equally applicable to rooms arranged in a linear fashion.

The building construction 10 comprises a sterilized cen-. tral service area 12 which provides service to a plurality of patient rooms 14 (only a portion of which are shown) extending radially outward from the central service area. Suitable doors 16 are provided around the periphery of the service area 12 to provide access between the service area and the patient rooms 14.

Adjacent patient rooms 14 are each formed from a first side wall 18 extending from the service area 12 to a first end 20. An opposite sidewall 22 extends from the service area 12 to a lavatory facility 24 serving adjacent rooms. The lavatory facility 24 has a fixed outer end panel 26. It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the fixed end panel 26 of the lavatory facility 24 forms, in effect, an outer end of side wall 22. Furthermore, the lavatory facility could be eliminated and wall 22 extended out to and substituted for the fixed end panel 26 with equal advantages. The patient rooms 14 are positioned adjacent one another so that the side walls 18 and 22 are common walls for adjacent rooms.

The first end of the common side wall 18 and the fixed end panel 26 of the common side wall 22 are equally spaced from an elongated wall 28 which is approximately normal to the ends of the common side walls 18 and 22. As herein shown, the elongated wall 28 is generally circular. However, for a linear arrangement of rooms it would be a straight wall. The elongated wall 28 has a plurality of windows 30, each positioned radially outward of patient rooms 14.

A plurality of movable wall assemblies 32 are mounted to the ends 20 of common walls 18. Movable wall assemblies are also mounted to one edge of the end panel 26 of common side wall 22. As shown in FIG. 3, the movable wall assemblies 32 comprise a first panel 34 pivotally mounted to fixed panel 26, as by hinges 27, and a second panel 36 sildable relative to the first panel 34 so that the effective width W of the movable wall assembly 32 can be varied. As herein shown, panel 36 is variably telescoped into panel 34. However, other arrangements may be used with equal success. The movable wall assemblies 32 are displaceable to a first position, illustrated in FIG. 1, wherein the movable walls 32-abut the end 20 of walls 18 and end panels 26 of walls 22. In this position the movable walls 32 provide an outer wall for patient rooms 14 and provide one wall of an elongated peripheral corridor 38 in combination with' the elongated wall 28.

The first panel 34 has a given width so that its free end is spaced from the panel toward which it extends in the first position to form a doorway D. This provides an entrance to the room when the movable panels 32 are in the first position. The second panel 36 of the wall 32 then is displaceable relative to the first panel 34 so that the doorway to the room may be selectively opened and closed.

The movable wall assemblies 32 are also displaceable to a second position, shown in FIG. 2, where they form, in effect, extensions of the common side walls 18 and 22. This provides expandable rooms 14 which extend from the service area 12 to the elongated wall 28 thereby enabling a greatly enlarged area and an exterior view through the windows.

In some instances, the distance between the pivot support of the movable walls 32 and the panels and walls which it abuts in the first position is not equal to the '3 distance from the pivot point to the elongated wall28. In this case the sliding panel 36 is utilized to tailor the width W of the movable panel 32 to provide proper abutment with the elongated wall 28 in the second position.

The above arrangement is highly advantageous for use in a hospital. It enables a clean central service area providing easy access to a plurality of patient rooms. During patient visitation hours the movable wall assemblies 32 can be displaced to their first position so that a peripheral corridor is formed to provide access to the patient rooms without going thrugh the clean central service area 12. At other times the movable wall panels 32 may be displaced to their second position where expanded rooms 14' are formed. In this position, the patients have the benefit of an enlarged room and an exterior view which has been found to be highly beneficial from a psychological standpoint.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as patentable and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A building construction comprising:

a plurality of adjacent rooms formed in part by means for forming common side wall portions, each terminating in a first end;

an elongated wall extending generally noraml to and spaced from the first ends of said common side wall means;

means for forming movable walls secured to the ends of said common side wall means and displaceable between a first position wherein said movable walls define end walls for said rooms and one wall of an elongated corridor in cooperation with said elongated wall and a second position wherein said movable walls extend from the end of said common side wall means to said elongated wall to form enlarged rooms.

2. A building construction as in claim. 1 wherein:

the distances between adjacent first ends of the common side Wall means and the distance between the first end of said side wall means and said elongated wall is unequal; and

said movable wall means compirse a first panel pivotally secured to the first ends of said common walls and a second panel slidable relative to the first portion to vary the resultant width of said movable walls and enable abutment with both an adjacent common side wall and the elongated wall.

3. A building construction as in claim 2 wherein:

the first panel of said movable, wall has a given width.

so that when said movable wall is in at least one of said positions the first panel forms, in cooperation with the wall toward which it extends, a doory;

said second panel is slidable relative to said first panel to selectively close and open said doorway.

4. A building construction as in claim 1 wherein said elongated wall further comprises a plurality of windows positioned to admit light into said rooms when said movable walls are in said second position.

5. A building construction as in claim 1 wherein:

said common side wall means extend radially outward from a central axis so that said first ends are in a radially outward position;

said elongated wall extends circumferentially around and is radially spaced from the first ends of said common side wall means so that when said movable walls are in said first position they form, in cooperation with said elongated wall, a peripheral corridor. 6. A building construction as in claim 5 wherein:

4 the distance between adjacent first ends of the common side wall means and the distance between the first end of said side wall means and said circumferential wall is unequal; and

said movable wall means comprise a first panel pivotally secured to the first ends of said common side wall means and a second panel slidable relative to the first panel to vary the resultant width of said movable walls and enable abutment both with an adjacent common side wall means and with the ciroumferential Wall.

7. A building construction as in claim 6 wherein:

the first panel of said movable wall has a given width so that when said movable wall is in at least one of said positions the first panel forms, in cooperation with the wall toward which it extends, a doory;

said second panel is slidable relative to said first portion to selectively close and open said doorway.

8. A building construction as in claim 7 wherein said circumferential wall further comprises a plurality of windows positioned to admit light into said rooms when said movable walls are in said second position.

9. A building construction as in claim 5 for use as a hospital and wherein:

said plurality of rooms are patient rooms;

said building construction further comprises a central service area positioned radially inward from said patient rooms and means for providing access from the service area to the radially inward portion of the patient rooms;

said circumferential wall further comprises a plurality of windows positioned to admit lightinto said patient rooms when said movable walls are in said second position;

said movable doors are displaceable to said first position during patient visitation hours to permit access to said patient rooms from said peripheral corridors and displaceable to said first positions to provide enlarged rooms with an exterior view during other periods.

10. A building construction as in claim 9 further comprising:

means positioned in the first end of alternate common side wall means for forming lavatory facilities, said lavatory facilities serving adjacent rooms;

said lavatory means having a fixed outer panel forming the first end of the wall means in which it is positioned, alternate movable wall assemblies being pivotally mounted to one end of said fixed outer panel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 800,111 9/1905 James 52239 XR 1,146,454 7/1915 Schleicher 52237 XR 2,154,897 4/1939 Grant 52237 XR 2,200,934 5/ 1940 Platt et a1. 52-64 XR 3,387,413 6/1968 Huey 52238 XR 3,399,501 9/1968 Rossman 5265 XR FOREIGN PATENTS 1,472,181 1/ 1967 France.

PRICE C. FAW, Ir., Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

